Pakistan claims on India ‘sponsoring attacks’ an attempt to divert attention, says New Delhi

India reiterates Pakistani involvement in terrorism

November 15, 2020 11:00 pm | Updated 11:19 pm IST - NEW DELHI

Remains of a mortar shell are seen along a street at Kamal Kote village near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri on November 15, 2020.

Remains of a mortar shell are seen along a street at Kamal Kote village near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri on November 15, 2020.

India on November 15 described the November 14 press conference by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi as a “desperate attempt” to divert attention from internal problems.

Official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava reiterated India’s allegation against Pakistani involvement in sponsoring cross-border terrorism and reminded that Pakistan’s Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhary had recently ‘claimed’ the Pulwama atttack was a “success of Pakistan”.

Also read | Pakistan changing tack along Line of Control: BSF

“The press conference was a deliberate attempt on the part of the Pakistani establishment to shift focus from its internal political and economic failures. It also seeks to justify cross-border terrorism, including ceasefire violations and infiltration across the LoC and the International Border,” Mr. Srivastava said.

Mr. Qureshi had claimed that Islamabad will provide the United Nations proof of India’s involvement in sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan.

The claims from the Minister came as India summoned the Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission and lodged a strong protest against the ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC) that resulted in the loss of lives of several citizens on November 13.

“India condemns, in the strongest terms, the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians by Pakistani forces. It is highly deplorable that Pakistan chose a festive occasion in India to disrupt peace and perpetrate violence in J&K through coordinated firing along the length of the LoC using heavy calibre weapons, including artillery and mortar on Indian civilians,” said the Ministry summing up the communication to Aftab Hassan Khan, Charge d’Affaires.

The statement said the firing from the Pakistani side had claimed the lives of four Indian citizens and caused serious injuries to 19 persons. The violation came weeks after India said the Pakistan military had carried out 3,800 ceasefire violations till October.

On October 22, Mr. Srivastava had pointed out that the ceasefire violations were aimed at facilitating cross-border infiltration of terror modules.

Maintaining the link between the violations and Pakistan’s support to cross-border terrorism, the MEA said, “India also strongly protested Pakistan’s continued support to cross-border terrorist infiltration including through supporting cover fire by Pakistan forces.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.